Dual lever control mechanism



Dec. 3, 1963 J. E. CARY ETAL DUAL LEVER coNTRoL MECHANISM Filed Jan; 25. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS Dec. 3, 1963 E CARY ETAL I 3,112,656

' DUAL LEVER CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Jan. 25, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORSJ c/MES E CHRI /fvrToRNEw'sV United States atet i .is

3 112 655 naar raven contraer Macri-rastrear Eames E. Car* Edmonds, and Waiter B. `Wallrer, eattle, Wash., assignors to Sweden Freezer lvlanuractnring Co., Seattle, Wash., a corporation ci Washington lied dan. 25, 196i?, iler. No. 4,594

3 Claims. till. 7d- 471) As an important object the invention aims to provide an improved lever and valve arrangement whereby pushpull movements of a control handle can result in diterent predetermined beverages.

The present invention also aims to provide a particularly compact dispensing head of simple, econoA ical and durable construction which incorporates a series of control levers for selecting respective of multiple flavored beverages.

With yet additional objects and advantages in v1ew which, with the foregoing, will appear and be understood in the course of the rollowing description and claims, the invention consists in the novel construction and in the adaptation and combination of parts hereinafter described claimed.

ln the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE l is a right side elevational View with part of the housing broken away of a dispensing head embodying the teachings o the present invention and with the set screws in the viewed right hand control lever being adjusted to dispense a carbonated-flavored drink responsive to manual pull of the related control handles (dotted line position) and to dispense carbonated water responsive to manual push of such handle (full line position).

FIG. 2 is a front elevational View of the dispensing head with parts broken away and taken as indicated by line 2 2 of FlG. l.

FlG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 3 3 of FIG. 2 and with the set screws adjusted for the dispensing of plain water responsive to the illustrated pull position of the middle control handle and for carbonated water in the push position thereof.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional View taken generally along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2 and with the concerned righthand primary lever and related reverse lever shown in vertical position. position.

FIG. 5 is a detail vertical sectional View taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. l.

FIG. 6 is a detail horizontal sectional View taken at the top of the mixing bore; and

FIG. 7 is a detail sectional view taken along the line 7*'7 ot FG. 1.

Referring to the drawings it is seen that the dispensing head of this invention comprises a block 9 which is drilled to provide Various passages for carbonated Water, plain water, and avoring syrup selectively discharging through spouts 1t? and supplied to respective back fittings llt-l. These fittings are mounted on a rear cover plate ltand intersect corresponding laterally extending manifolds l5-l7 sealed by a gasket 1S. These ducts communicate via ducts 9-2l with a laterally disposed series of downwardly directed and forwardly slopping mixing bores 22. Forward flow through these ducts is determined by a set of front control lever assembles A-C which act upon the stems 23-25 of banks of vertically spaced valves 26-23 in opposition to valve closing springs 2-9. Each or" these banks is the same and so like identifying numerals have been applied to the parts thereof. For purposes of example, the controls for the banks have been illustrated set to give a choice of plain carbonated water or a carbonated-flavored drink by controls A and C, and a choice of carbonated water or plain water by control B.

Continuing with the description of the dispensing head construction, it will be noted that the ducts 19-21 together with forward extensions 30-32 house the valve stems 23-25 These extensions are sealed by rings 33 carried by the valve stems while the manifold ends of the ducts Slg- 2l have tapered seats 34 for sealing rings 35 mounted on the front working faces of the valves. The diameters or the ducts 19--21 relative to their related valve stems 23a-25 of course determine the ow rate therethrough for given supply pressures. Accordingly, the duct diameters are predetermined to give the proper relative ilow between the carbonated water, plain water, and avoring syrup. Thus it will be noted that the orifice between the carbonated water duct 19 and its stem 23 is considerably smaller than the respective plain water and ilavoring orifices.

The etere-mentioned control lever assemblies A-C are positioned side-by-side between groups of vertical bands 36-37 formed at the front of block 10. Each assembly comprises a primary lever 38 having a handle 4t) at the top and a reversing lever 4l at one side thereof. Pins 42-423 are used to pivotally mount the levers 38, di, respectively, to the bands 36-37 for fore and aft swinging movement response to push-pull in the related handle 4t?. Reversing of the levers occurs during pushing of the handle and is accomplished by way of a reversing lug 44 which projects from the reversing lever 41 below the pivot pin d3 in front of the related primary lever. Thus as the portion of the primary lever 3S swings forwardly responsive to manual pushing of its handle 4i), the lug 44 is engaged thereby causing the portion of the reversing lever il located above the pivot pin 43 to swing rearwardly toward the block 19. Such upper portion of the reversing lever also has a lug, denoted 45, which proiects behind the associated primary lever at the same elevation as the uppermost valve stem 23. Thus when the handle d@ is pushed this upper lug 45 is pushed against the stem 23 and responsively unseats the related valve 26 for discharging carbonated water. Since, at the same time, the lower portion of the primary lever has been swung away from the other valve stems 24-25, only carbonated water will thus be dispensed responsive to pushing of the handle.

It should be noted that the primary lever 3S is formed with .a back recess 46 for receiving the upper lug 45. This recess is of such a depth that the lug 45 will not engage the stern 23 to unseat the Valve 26 responsive to a forward pull of the respective handle dit unless this lug is preset rearwardly of the iloor of the recess 46 by screwing in a set screw 47 which is threaded into a throughbore in the primary lever. Similarly, the primary lever has threaded bores alined with the valve stems 24-25 for receiving set screws iS-*49. These bores are larger than the heads of stem 24-25 so that the latter can project into the bores when such are not fully occupied by the set screws. With this arrangement one or both or" the plain water and lavoring valves 27-28 can be preset to an always closed condition for a given handle by backing of the respective set screw. For example, instead of dispensing a carbonated-flavored drink by a pull of the primary levers as with illustrated units A and C, in the case of middle control unit B the lower set screw 49 has been backed out together with the upper set screw 47, and hence, only the plain water valve 27 is opened responsive to pulling of the handle as best seen in FIG. 3.

Furthermore, the arrangement permits such valves 27-23 to be opened simultaneously or in sequence. In this latter regard, the set screws 47 and 49 can be advanced relative to the intermediate screw 48 to open the carbonated water and flavoring syrup valves 26, Z8 responsive to a certain pull arc on the handle while the plain water valve 27 remains closed. Then further pull- 3 ing of the handle can be set to result in addition of plain water.

In the illustrated embodiment, for purposes of example we have shown the reversing levers 4l of all the banks as operating the carbonated water valves 26. It will be understood that if desired, the position of any of these levers can be shifted to operate the other valves 27 or .28 responsive to push of the respective primary lever 38.

As shown in FIG. 6 for duct i9, the ducts 19-21 intersect the mixing bore 22 along a chord which is well olset from the bores longitudinal axis so that the respec` tive liquid will discharge tangentially into the bore and commence a spiral travel path toward the spout fr0. This spiral path is particularly valuable in the case of the carbonated water in dampening the velocity thereof. To elaborate, in traveling a given distance along the length of the mixing bore the carbonated water is forced to travel substantially further in a spiral path than it would were it to travel straight along the bore. However, it is preferred to have the dispensed liquid discharge lineally from the spout. To achieve this end we insert a baffle or straightener 50 in the mixing bore between the ducts 2li-21. This straightener may take the for of a ring which is cemented in place and then has its inner face scalloped as shown in FIG. 7 as by drilling holes longitudinally therethrough at regular intervals of its circumference. As the spiralling liquid engages the straightener a large part of its spiral action is broken up so that by the time it reaches the month of the spout very little, if any, tangential component remains in the discharging liquid. At the point of entry of flavoring syrup into the mixing bore, blending of the flavoring is enhanced by the tangential entry path of the syrup together with the remaining spiral action of the carbonated water at that level.

It is thought that the invention will have been clearly understood from the foregoing detailed description. Changes in the details of construction will suggest themselves and may be restorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, wherefore it is our intention that no limitations be implied and that the hereto annexed claims be given a scope fully commensurate with the broadest interpretation to which the employed language admits.

What We claim, is:

1. An actuating mechanism for operating first and second valve assemblies mounted in a block, said mechanism comprising a primary lever pivotally mounted on said block for selective swinging movement rearwardly toward and forwardly away from said block, a reverse lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said block beside said primary lever for swinging movement about an axis parallel to the swing axis of the primary lever, and lugs projecting from said reverse lever at opposite ends thereof, one of said lugs overlapping the side of said primary lever closest to said block and the other of said lugs overlapping the side of said primary lever away from said block, said lng closest to said block being movable towards said block in response to both forward and rearward swinging movements of said primary lever.

2. An actuating mechanism for operating lirst and second valve assemblies mounted in a block, said mechanism comprising a primary lever pivotally mounted on said block for selective swinging movement rearwardly toward and forwardly away from said block, said primary lever having .a recess in the back thereof facing said block, a reverse lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said block beside said primary lever for swinging movement about an axis parallel to the swing axis of the primary lever, lugs projecting from said reverse lever at opposite ends thereof, one of said lugs extending into said recess and overlapping the side of said primary lever closest to said block and the other of said lugs overlapping the side of said primary lever away from said block, and a set screw in said primary lever for selectively engaging said lng closest to said block, the latter said lug being movable towards said block in response to both forward and rearward swinffing movements of said primary lever.

3. An actuating mechanism for operating first and second valve assemblies mounted in a block, said mechanism comprising a primary lever pivotally mounted for selective swinging movement rearwardly and forwardly, a reverse lever ivotally mounted intermediate its ends beside said primary lever for swinging movement about an axis parallel to the swing axis of the primary lever, said reverse lever having one of its ends arranged to be engaged by said primary lever during forward movement thereof and its other end arranged to be engaged by said primary lever during rearward movement thereof, whereby both forward and rearward movements of said primary lever results in rearward movement of said other end of the reverse lever to said block.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

3. AN ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR OPERATING FIRST AND SECOND VALVE ASSEMBLIES MOUNTED IN A BLOCK, SAID MECHANISM COMPRISING A PRIMARY LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED FOR SELECTIVE SWINGING MOVEMENT REARWARDLY AND FORWARDLY, A REVERSE LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS BESIDE SAID PRIMARY LEVER FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE SWING AXIS OF THE PRIMARY LEVER, SAID REVERSE LEVER HAVING ONE OF ITS ENDS ARRANGED TO BE ENGAGED BY SAID PRIMARY LEVER DURING FORWARD MOVEMENT THEREOF AND ITS OTHER END ARRANGED TO BE ENGAGED BY SAID PRIMARY LEVER DURING REARWARD MOVEMENT THEREOF, WHEREBY BOTH FORWARD AND REARWARD MOVEMENTS OF SAID PRIMARY LEVER RESULTS IN REARWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID OTHER END OF THE REVERSE LEVER TO SAID BLOCK. 